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"Bunny M." is an eighteen-year-old Dallas resident who plays drums, piano and clarinet.  Her passion for jazz and the challenges she faces as a youthful fan of it is the focus of her Jerry Jazz Musician column, "Accent on Youth." Listen to Dinah Washington sing Accent On Youth ___________________________ Accent on Youth by Bunny M. Black Pearl, by Kenneth Walker Discovering Jazz -- on Film * How Long Has This Been Goin' On?, by Lonette McKee and Dexter Gordon, from 'Round Midnight _______________________      For over seventy-five years "the movies" have been an American entertainment institution. Though originally intended for adult consumption, the increasing shift in the marketing of popular culture from adults to youth has resulted in a movie-going audience that is greatly comprised of young people. With the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927, film became more than just a visual medium: from the lavish musical spectacles of the thirties, to the emergence of rock 'n roll during the fifties, to today's special effects-laden music videos, film and music have been working together for some time as either plot-forwarding, story-telling elements, or mutual enhancement and explanation of one by the other.      Although not as prominently featured in films as other musical genres may be, jazz has nevertheless made its presence known in movies -- including contemporary ones -- which can be enjoyed by young people no matter their musical preferences. Collected from my own experience with film, I have identified three basic categories of how jazz appears in films: the biographical film of someone involved in jazz, the soundtrack/ storyline enhancement, and the jazz-musician-as-actor appearance.    Hello Young Lovers, by Kevin Spacey       I don't lend much creedence to "biopics" for being accurate portrayals of their subjects, but I do believe they can be effective in developing and reviving interest in their subjects. I will use two examples from this vast "biopic" genre, the first being 1972's Lady Sings the Blues, which was a blown opportunity to tell Billie Holiday's life story in the style she deserved, but it did, however, bring about a resurgence of interest in the music of Lady Day despite the squalid cinema. A more recent example is Beyond the Sea, which is (praise be!) a fine and entertaining portrayal of the magnificent Bobby Darin that has tuned many young people in to the old pop standards of the lounge era.   Kevin Spacey effectively pulled a "Chaplin" by co-writing, co-producing, directing, and starring in this beautiful film, which I found to be a sincere, honest admirer's tribute whose musical treatments are tasteful and true-to-form (with respectable vocals also by Mr. Spacey). In several message board discussions about this film, a number of young people from mid-teens to early thirties (many of whom claim to have never heard of Bobby Darin before) are now calling themselves new fans of Darin and lounge music, specifically as a result of seeing this film. Fifteen-year-olds who listened almost exclusively to rock and pop have now begun adding Darin, Sinatra, and similar artists to their music libraries.  ("Shame this type of music is disappearing" one young jazz-listener remarked on an on-line forum for Dean Martin). Fine and Mellow, by Diana Ross         Au Bar du Petit Bac, by Miles Davis Diner au Motel, by Miles Davis      While the "biopic" is perhaps the most effective cinematic means of distributing jazz, the most numerous examples are of the films whose storylines have little or nothing to do with jazz, but feature the music as part of the soundtrack. These types of examples are wide and varied, ranging from a quick background or scene-setting clip (like Ella Fitzgerald's "Sleigh Ride" in 2003's Elf) to a wall-to-wall jazzy score -- Miles Davis enthusiasts may recall the trumpeter's smoky-late-night-cool score for the French film Ascenseur pour L'echafaud (Rise to the Gallows). American film has its examples also: consider Orson Welles' 1958 noir Touch of Evil, featuring a Latin-flavored score by Henry Mancini. Mancini is, of course, famous for his film and television scores, among them the hilarious Pink Panther comedies, the melancholy drama Days of Wine and Roses, and Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is, in all its glitzy martini-and-little-black-dress splendor, one of the finest film odes to the lounge era.  In a more recent example, 2003's Down with Love is a hearty wink-and-nod to the flowery Doris Day screwball comedies of the late fifties and early sixties. While it isn't quite as charming as its cinematic forebears, Down's production values -- from the retro-cool set designs and wardrobe to the fun lighthearted energy throughout the film -- are a delicious reminder of a jazzier era. The soundtrack is peppered with the sounds of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and the Sinatra of our times, Michael Bublé, whose performance of "For Once in My Life" is incredibly authentic in its Vegas-swinger style, and effectively bridges the gap between the past and present in this film. Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Henry Mancini Touch of Evil(main title), by Henry Mancini A Shot in the Dark, by Henry Mancini     Jammin' the Blues On the Sunny Side of the Street, by Marie Bryant and Lester Young End, Improvisation      The rarest and most often historically valuable examples of jazz in film are those that feature an actual jazz musician as either himself or in a character role. These kinds of films tend to be older musicals or cheesy "ding dong" comedies, the kind of film you watch just to see the quick glimpse of the musician in action. Big bands made frequent appearances like these; for example, Benny Goodman has a few numbers in 1943's star-studded Stagedoor Canteen, and Tommy Dorsey's group (with Buddy Rich as drummer) can be found in films like Thrill of a Romance with Esther Williams, and in seventeenth century France costume (!) in Du Barry was a Lady, from 1943. My favorite of such films is the 1944 short Jammin' the Blues, featuring Lester Young, Jo Jones, Illinois Jacquet and other jazz masters in what is best described by the opening narration: "This is a jam session. Quite often, these great artists gather and play -- ad lib -- hot music. It could be called a midnight symphony." And what a symphony it is! This film is stunning cinematically, with its dark, shadowy ambiance and an avant-garde style that's fresh even today, and it is a real treat to see and hear these incredible musicians playing a continuous ten minute thread of three songs. The viewer is left feeling very much like part of a private audience in a New York City jazz club -- think of it as a music video forty years before MTV. Then there's the 1986 film 'Round Midnight, in which Dexter Gordon stars as an expatriate jazz musician in Paris, a role so powerful that it garnered him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. The story itself and the musical performances are a must for jazz fans. The weirdest musician-turned-actor film I've ever heard of has got to be Zachariah from 1971, a straight-from-the-psychedelic-era movie which features the late Elvin Jones as a drum master cowboy who embarks on a twisted and surrealistic journey through the Old West. It's weird, features lots of tomfoolery-fun, and Elvin Jones' drumming devilry will leave you in awe. 'Round Midnight Una Noche Con Francis, by Dexter Gordon Body and Soul, by Dexter Gordon          The movies are a medium easily accessed and enjoyed by huge numbers of young people, and it is a medium jazz musicians should become more involved in. Jazz music's famous figures and its rich history make an emotional, complex, and culturally appealing story Hollywood would do well to tell. In the meantime, jazz music -- and at times its musicians as well -- has a way of showing up in the most unexpected and unusual places that can lead to a musical awakening for many a young filmgoer. ______________________________   Peace is the word, Bunny * "Bunny M." is an eighteen-year-old Dallas resident who plays drums, piano and clarinet.  Her passion for jazz and the challenges she faces as a youthful fan of it is the focus of her Jerry Jazz Musician column, "Accent on Youth." You can contact Bunny at: lotusflower1922@hotmail.com * Accent on Youth archive

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